Short description of the activities: Being able to use waste to produce new materials and energy is one of the key aspects of circular economy. Sewage sludge and organic waste in general are abundant by-products of urban areas and their disposal is often a problem, resulting in high costs to local communities. By means of a novel technology, “hydrothermal liquefaction” (HTL), these waste biomass feedstocks are processed in water at high temperature and pressure and can be converted into the so-called “bio-crude”, a viscous black liquid similar to oil, but fully renewable. And just like traditional oil, bio-crude can be refined into renewable bio-fuels, chemically identical to current commercial fuel, but with a dramatically reduced CO2 impact.

During the visit the attendants will be introduced to the fundamentals of the HTL process and the different lab equipment and pilot plants available at Aalborg University will be visited. Afterwards, some experiments and/or measurements will be performed to evaluate the properties of the produced fuels.

Contents of the visit: Lectures, lab tour, short experiments and/or measurements. The visit could also involve a general tour of AAU Energy labs conducted by our student ambassadors.

Relevant subjects: Chemistry, technology, biology.

Keywords: Sustainable fuels, hydrothermal liquefaction, hydro processing, sewage sludge, organic waste, circular economy.

Expected level: HTX or 3.g Chemistry/Physics at A-level.

Preparation: According to the specific aspects to be treated, some material (readings, websites, videos) will be made available in advance.

Outcome: Awareness on the concept of sustainability and carbon-neutrality. Understanding the basic properties of a fuel, their technological relevance and how to determine them.

Max. number of attendants: 6-8 (it can be arranged).

Time of the visit: To be arranged with the organizer.

Duration of the visit: Around 1 hour.

Meeting place: Pontoppidanstræde 111, 9220 Aalborg Øst.

Contact person: gymnasieportalen@adm.aau.dk, Daniele Castello, AAU Energy.